The Horror Genre in Stories of Stevenson and Greene

The Horror Genre in Stories of Stevenson and Greene

R.L Stevenson's 'The Body-Snatcher' and Graham Greene's 'The End Of

The party' are both short stories that are a part of the horror genre,

despite differing in many ways. Throughout this essay, I am going to

compare the differences and the similarities between the two horror

stories. I will assess the way the writers use certain aspects that

are part of the horror genre to make their story have an impact on the

reader and have the ability to captivate their reader and keep them

engrossed in the story. I will be focusing on specific areas within

each story including, setting, structure, atmosphere, suspense,

endings and also the different types of fear explored within each

story.

There are many qualities that are common amongst all horror stories,

which make the horror genre so popular. These specific components of

horror stories include things such as murders, with a clear motive,

and 'The Body-Snatcher' is no exception to this with many murders for

a clear purpose, which is to supply the medical school with bodies.

Tension and suspense are perhaps the most common generic elements in a

horror story. Both 'The Body-Snatcher' and 'The End Of The Party'

contain these elements in a very effective way which, build up to a

climax at the end of the story and have a significant impact on the

reader. Fear and phobias are commonly used in horror stories and 'The

End Of The Party' contains a main theme of a young boy's fear of the

dark. Darkness is also often used in horror stories and 'The

Body-snatcher' and 'The End Of The Party' both contain elements of

darkness, which create uneasin...

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...e 'The Body-Snatcher', with more typical

horror elements, like graveyards, weather, dead bodies as are involved

in 'The Body-Snatcher.' I think this is why I prefer 'The End Of The

Party', because it is still a horror story, but without many of the

typical horror components.

Overall, horror is very popular. A successful horror story has the

ability to scare the reader and keep them in anticipation through

parts of the story. It also should be able to keep the reader

captivated and reading to the end. A good horror story combines

tension. Suspense, atmosphere, the unexpected and fear effectively to

have an impact on the reader. A good horror story also contains a good

structure, an effective setting, the use of fear and vocabulary, these

are what make successful horror stories and make the horror genre so

popular.